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About Under and Alone

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a “confidential informant” made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial “prospecting” phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol “ol’ lady” after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.”

From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

From the Hardcover edition.

About Under and Alone

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a “confidential informant” made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial “prospecting” phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol “ol’ lady” after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.”

From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

From the Hardcover edition.

About Under and Alone

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a “confidential informant” made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial “prospecting” phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol “ol’ lady” after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.”

From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

From the Hardcover edition.

About Under and Alone

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a “confidential informant” made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial “prospecting” phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol “ol’ lady” after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.”

From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

From the Hardcover edition.

About Under and Alone

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a “confidential informant” made contact with his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement.

Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent twenty-eight months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

During his initial “prospecting” phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol “ol’ lady” after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.”

From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

From the Hardcover edition.

Praise

Advance praise for Under and Alone

“Under and Alone is the dangerous and fascinating true story of an undercover ATF agent and the psychological price he was made to pay for his courageous work.”–Joseph Wambaugh, bestselling author of The Onion Field

“A riveting story of a one-of-a-kind officer that takes you to the deepest and most dangerous part of undercover work. Highly recommended.”–Joseph Pistone, author of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia

About William Queen

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A… More about William Queen

About William Queen

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A… More about William Queen

About William Queen

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A… More about William Queen

About William Queen

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A… More about William Queen

About William Queen

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. A… More about William Queen

Author Q&A

A Conversation with William Queen

1) When you were undercover with the Mongols, did you ever stop ‘playing the role’ and start to identify with the group? How was your sense-of-self challenged?

I found myself becoming the part I was playing from time to time. Especially after I got used to the idea that I could fit in with such a lawless and twisted group of people without actually getting myself killed. The more time I spent with them the more what we think of as ‘normal’ social events I incurred, along with what you and I think of as family time. I even found myself believing that they were, for the most part, just like you and me. Quite often Mongols would treat me like a real brother even to the point that I knew they would put their lives on the line for me. I compared this to my brothers in arms at ATF and realized very few of them who would put their lives on the line for me. I became confused, sometimes quite often. This really came to a head with the death of my mother. Not a single ATF employee expressed condolences about my losing her. But Mongol after Mongol told me that they were sorry about my Mom and that they loved me. I felt genuinely guilty for what I was doing. And I realized how much of a number I was to ATF. I truly wanted to be a Mongol at that point. I even thought about telling them the truth and backing out of the undercover operation. I was saved from my confusion by the Mongols propensity for crime and violence.Just when I thought I knew what was really right with the Mongols, they would do something stupid like murder someone or rape some female. I was instantly brought to reality again. But, it would still weigh on me as you might imagine.

2) Why is being a 1%er a source of pride for OMG members? Do they choose this path because they thrive on lawlessness, or are they drifters looking to be taken in by a community?

OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) don’t want to be part of the norm, the mainstream. They don’t want to conform and don’t care for “The System”. For the most part they don’t care what the community or society thinks or demands. They take pride in the “Outlaw” part of the 1%er. Laws are made for people like you and me. 1%ers have their own code they live by. Not everyone can be an outlaw. Just like other elite groups, this is what they pride themselves in. The way they see it, they are a unique and elite group of people. So if you can make it (with them), you are somebody.

For the most part 1%ers come from the criminal side of our society. They are already outside the mainstream and quite often find themselves in some type of criminal gang. OMGs are like the ultimate gang. They have a mystique about them. A kind of cream of the criminal crop. They portray power as a group and as individuals. Fear is quite often confused with respect in this world and the less successful people looking for success quite often see themselves with power if they could be a part of such organizations. OMGs aren’t looking for intelligent or educated people. They are looking for the birds of a feather. Once inside, there is a real sense of security. You don’t fight a Mongol, you fight the Mongols. Mongol brothers don’t care whether you cheat your neighbor or sell drugs. They don’t care whether you take a bath or drink too much. They are going to accept you anyway. They’ll stand together when other organizations fall apart.

3) What kind of presence do outlaw motorcycle gangs have today. Are they as large and organized still as they were when you were undercover?

OMGs are world-wide. They are bigger today then when I rode. They are as organized and as dangerous as ever.

4) Do you still ride?

I do still ride. I own a 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. I’ll ride till I can’t ride any more.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Conversation with William Queen

1) When you were undercover with the Mongols, did you ever stop ‘playing the role’ and start to identify with the group? How was your sense-of-self challenged?

I found myself becoming the part I was playing from time to time. Especially after I got used to the idea that I could fit in with such a lawless and twisted group of people without actually getting myself killed. The more time I spent with them the more what we think of as ‘normal’ social events I incurred, along with what you and I think of as family time. I even found myself believing that they were, for the most part, just like you and me. Quite often Mongols would treat me like a real brother even to the point that I knew they would put their lives on the line for me. I compared this to my brothers in arms at ATF and realized very few of them who would put their lives on the line for me. I became confused, sometimes quite often. This really came to a head with the death of my mother. Not a single ATF employee expressed condolences about my losing her. But Mongol after Mongol told me that they were sorry about my Mom and that they loved me. I felt genuinely guilty for what I was doing. And I realized how much of a number I was to ATF. I truly wanted to be a Mongol at that point. I even thought about telling them the truth and backing out of the undercover operation. I was saved from my confusion by the Mongols propensity for crime and violence.Just when I thought I knew what was really right with the Mongols, they would do something stupid like murder someone or rape some female. I was instantly brought to reality again. But, it would still weigh on me as you might imagine.

2) Why is being a 1%er a source of pride for OMG members? Do they choose this path because they thrive on lawlessness, or are they drifters looking to be taken in by a community?

OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) don’t want to be part of the norm, the mainstream. They don’t want to conform and don’t care for “The System”. For the most part they don’t care what the community or society thinks or demands. They take pride in the “Outlaw” part of the 1%er. Laws are made for people like you and me. 1%ers have their own code they live by. Not everyone can be an outlaw. Just like other elite groups, this is what they pride themselves in. The way they see it, they are a unique and elite group of people. So if you can make it (with them), you are somebody.

For the most part 1%ers come from the criminal side of our society. They are already outside the mainstream and quite often find themselves in some type of criminal gang. OMGs are like the ultimate gang. They have a mystique about them. A kind of cream of the criminal crop. They portray power as a group and as individuals. Fear is quite often confused with respect in this world and the less successful people looking for success quite often see themselves with power if they could be a part of such organizations. OMGs aren’t looking for intelligent or educated people. They are looking for the birds of a feather. Once inside, there is a real sense of security. You don’t fight a Mongol, you fight the Mongols. Mongol brothers don’t care whether you cheat your neighbor or sell drugs. They don’t care whether you take a bath or drink too much. They are going to accept you anyway. They’ll stand together when other organizations fall apart.

3) What kind of presence do outlaw motorcycle gangs have today. Are they as large and organized still as they were when you were undercover?

OMGs are world-wide. They are bigger today then when I rode. They are as organized and as dangerous as ever.

4) Do you still ride?

I do still ride. I own a 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. I’ll ride till I can’t ride any more.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Conversation with William Queen

1) When you were undercover with the Mongols, did you ever stop ‘playing the role’ and start to identify with the group? How was your sense-of-self challenged?

I found myself becoming the part I was playing from time to time. Especially after I got used to the idea that I could fit in with such a lawless and twisted group of people without actually getting myself killed. The more time I spent with them the more what we think of as ‘normal’ social events I incurred, along with what you and I think of as family time. I even found myself believing that they were, for the most part, just like you and me. Quite often Mongols would treat me like a real brother even to the point that I knew they would put their lives on the line for me. I compared this to my brothers in arms at ATF and realized very few of them who would put their lives on the line for me. I became confused, sometimes quite often. This really came to a head with the death of my mother. Not a single ATF employee expressed condolences about my losing her. But Mongol after Mongol told me that they were sorry about my Mom and that they loved me. I felt genuinely guilty for what I was doing. And I realized how much of a number I was to ATF. I truly wanted to be a Mongol at that point. I even thought about telling them the truth and backing out of the undercover operation. I was saved from my confusion by the Mongols propensity for crime and violence.Just when I thought I knew what was really right with the Mongols, they would do something stupid like murder someone or rape some female. I was instantly brought to reality again. But, it would still weigh on me as you might imagine.

2) Why is being a 1%er a source of pride for OMG members? Do they choose this path because they thrive on lawlessness, or are they drifters looking to be taken in by a community?

OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) don’t want to be part of the norm, the mainstream. They don’t want to conform and don’t care for “The System”. For the most part they don’t care what the community or society thinks or demands. They take pride in the “Outlaw” part of the 1%er. Laws are made for people like you and me. 1%ers have their own code they live by. Not everyone can be an outlaw. Just like other elite groups, this is what they pride themselves in. The way they see it, they are a unique and elite group of people. So if you can make it (with them), you are somebody.

For the most part 1%ers come from the criminal side of our society. They are already outside the mainstream and quite often find themselves in some type of criminal gang. OMGs are like the ultimate gang. They have a mystique about them. A kind of cream of the criminal crop. They portray power as a group and as individuals. Fear is quite often confused with respect in this world and the less successful people looking for success quite often see themselves with power if they could be a part of such organizations. OMGs aren’t looking for intelligent or educated people. They are looking for the birds of a feather. Once inside, there is a real sense of security. You don’t fight a Mongol, you fight the Mongols. Mongol brothers don’t care whether you cheat your neighbor or sell drugs. They don’t care whether you take a bath or drink too much. They are going to accept you anyway. They’ll stand together when other organizations fall apart.

3) What kind of presence do outlaw motorcycle gangs have today. Are they as large and organized still as they were when you were undercover?

OMGs are world-wide. They are bigger today then when I rode. They are as organized and as dangerous as ever.

4) Do you still ride?

I do still ride. I own a 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. I’ll ride till I can’t ride any more.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Conversation with William Queen

1) When you were undercover with the Mongols, did you ever stop ‘playing the role’ and start to identify with the group? How was your sense-of-self challenged?

I found myself becoming the part I was playing from time to time. Especially after I got used to the idea that I could fit in with such a lawless and twisted group of people without actually getting myself killed. The more time I spent with them the more what we think of as ‘normal’ social events I incurred, along with what you and I think of as family time. I even found myself believing that they were, for the most part, just like you and me. Quite often Mongols would treat me like a real brother even to the point that I knew they would put their lives on the line for me. I compared this to my brothers in arms at ATF and realized very few of them who would put their lives on the line for me. I became confused, sometimes quite often. This really came to a head with the death of my mother. Not a single ATF employee expressed condolences about my losing her. But Mongol after Mongol told me that they were sorry about my Mom and that they loved me. I felt genuinely guilty for what I was doing. And I realized how much of a number I was to ATF. I truly wanted to be a Mongol at that point. I even thought about telling them the truth and backing out of the undercover operation. I was saved from my confusion by the Mongols propensity for crime and violence.Just when I thought I knew what was really right with the Mongols, they would do something stupid like murder someone or rape some female. I was instantly brought to reality again. But, it would still weigh on me as you might imagine.

2) Why is being a 1%er a source of pride for OMG members? Do they choose this path because they thrive on lawlessness, or are they drifters looking to be taken in by a community?

OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) don’t want to be part of the norm, the mainstream. They don’t want to conform and don’t care for “The System”. For the most part they don’t care what the community or society thinks or demands. They take pride in the “Outlaw” part of the 1%er. Laws are made for people like you and me. 1%ers have their own code they live by. Not everyone can be an outlaw. Just like other elite groups, this is what they pride themselves in. The way they see it, they are a unique and elite group of people. So if you can make it (with them), you are somebody.

For the most part 1%ers come from the criminal side of our society. They are already outside the mainstream and quite often find themselves in some type of criminal gang. OMGs are like the ultimate gang. They have a mystique about them. A kind of cream of the criminal crop. They portray power as a group and as individuals. Fear is quite often confused with respect in this world and the less successful people looking for success quite often see themselves with power if they could be a part of such organizations. OMGs aren’t looking for intelligent or educated people. They are looking for the birds of a feather. Once inside, there is a real sense of security. You don’t fight a Mongol, you fight the Mongols. Mongol brothers don’t care whether you cheat your neighbor or sell drugs. They don’t care whether you take a bath or drink too much. They are going to accept you anyway. They’ll stand together when other organizations fall apart.

3) What kind of presence do outlaw motorcycle gangs have today. Are they as large and organized still as they were when you were undercover?

OMGs are world-wide. They are bigger today then when I rode. They are as organized and as dangerous as ever.

4) Do you still ride?

I do still ride. I own a 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. I’ll ride till I can’t ride any more.

From the Hardcover edition.

A Conversation with William Queen

1) When you were undercover with the Mongols, did you ever stop ‘playing the role’ and start to identify with the group? How was your sense-of-self challenged?

I found myself becoming the part I was playing from time to time. Especially after I got used to the idea that I could fit in with such a lawless and twisted group of people without actually getting myself killed. The more time I spent with them the more what we think of as ‘normal’ social events I incurred, along with what you and I think of as family time. I even found myself believing that they were, for the most part, just like you and me. Quite often Mongols would treat me like a real brother even to the point that I knew they would put their lives on the line for me. I compared this to my brothers in arms at ATF and realized very few of them who would put their lives on the line for me. I became confused, sometimes quite often. This really came to a head with the death of my mother. Not a single ATF employee expressed condolences about my losing her. But Mongol after Mongol told me that they were sorry about my Mom and that they loved me. I felt genuinely guilty for what I was doing. And I realized how much of a number I was to ATF. I truly wanted to be a Mongol at that point. I even thought about telling them the truth and backing out of the undercover operation. I was saved from my confusion by the Mongols propensity for crime and violence.Just when I thought I knew what was really right with the Mongols, they would do something stupid like murder someone or rape some female. I was instantly brought to reality again. But, it would still weigh on me as you might imagine.

2) Why is being a 1%er a source of pride for OMG members? Do they choose this path because they thrive on lawlessness, or are they drifters looking to be taken in by a community?

OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) don’t want to be part of the norm, the mainstream. They don’t want to conform and don’t care for “The System”. For the most part they don’t care what the community or society thinks or demands. They take pride in the “Outlaw” part of the 1%er. Laws are made for people like you and me. 1%ers have their own code they live by. Not everyone can be an outlaw. Just like other elite groups, this is what they pride themselves in. The way they see it, they are a unique and elite group of people. So if you can make it (with them), you are somebody.

For the most part 1%ers come from the criminal side of our society. They are already outside the mainstream and quite often find themselves in some type of criminal gang. OMGs are like the ultimate gang. They have a mystique about them. A kind of cream of the criminal crop. They portray power as a group and as individuals. Fear is quite often confused with respect in this world and the less successful people looking for success quite often see themselves with power if they could be a part of such organizations. OMGs aren’t looking for intelligent or educated people. They are looking for the birds of a feather. Once inside, there is a real sense of security. You don’t fight a Mongol, you fight the Mongols. Mongol brothers don’t care whether you cheat your neighbor or sell drugs. They don’t care whether you take a bath or drink too much. They are going to accept you anyway. They’ll stand together when other organizations fall apart.

3) What kind of presence do outlaw motorcycle gangs have today. Are they as large and organized still as they were when you were undercover?

OMGs are world-wide. They are bigger today then when I rode. They are as organized and as dangerous as ever.

4) Do you still ride?

I do still ride. I own a 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. I’ll ride till I can’t ride any more.